Unfairly omitted? An England XI to face Scotland of those excluded by Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate is preparing to take on Scotland and Spain over the coming days in matches that will determine whether he gets the England job on a full-time basis.

With the stakes so high, selecting the right squad for the matches was vital.

So did he get it right? We will only know after the two games but in the meantime we’ve selected an England XI of those we felt were most unfortunate to miss out on the squad.

GK: Jordan Pickford

Pickford’s wonder save against Bournemouth at the weekend saw Sunderland finally win a game this season. Fans of the Black Cats are calling the 22-year-old a club legend already.

Jordan Pickford (Getty)

DF: George Friend

The left-back has been among Middlesbrough’s stand-out players as the promoted side have managed to mix it with the big boys.

DF: Scott Dann

Has been Crystal Palace’s most influential player so far this season, not only being a solid presence in the centre of defence but grabbing a couple of goals as well.

Dann the man (Getty)

DF: Curtis Davies

Considering the situation Hull found themselves in at the start of the season (no manager and nearly no players) that they are putting up a fight for survival at all is remarkable. Davies has been their stand-out player.

DF: Adam Smith

The Bournemouth right-back has excelled this season with his three assists in the Premier League proving his ability to deliver.

CM: Michael Carrick

Carrick has started six games for Manchester United and they’ve won every single one. It’s a sign of how influential the veteran can still be and he could have brought some experience and calm to England’s midfield.

Carrick – an oldie but a goodie (Getty)

CM: Michail Antonio

The five-goal West Ham midfielder is probably the most unfortunate of all to miss out on selection for the current England squad, particularly considering he has done little wrong since being named in the last one.

AM: Ross Barkley

Has played in all but one of Everton’s Premier League games this season as the Toffees have made a solid start to the season. At 22-years-old Barkley still feels like the future of English football, but he won’t be if he continues to be in and out of the squad.

Ross Barkley has been in and out of the squad of late (Getty)

RM: Wilfried Zaha

Four assists and one goal for Crystal Palace this season is a sold return. It’s certainly better than Jesse Lingard (one assist, no goals) and even team-mate Andros Townsend (one goal, no assists) who both made the squad.

LM: Junior Stanislas

Bournemouth’s Junior Stanislas has been even better – scoring three goals and claiming two assists in just six games this term.

Junior Stanislas has a goal every other game (Getty)

ST: Charlie Austin

The striker has been a consistent goal getter for Southampton this season with a tally of eight in all competitions. Considering the form and fitness of other strikers in the squad, including Jamie Vardy who has scored just twice this term, Daniel Sturridge who can’t get a start and Harry Kane who only just returned from injury, Austin can rightly feel aggrieved.